Abstract
We compare health maintenance organization enrollees' evaluations of the care they received from family physicians and chiropractors for low back pain. Patients of chiropractors were three times as likely as patients of family physicians to report that they were very satisfied with the care they received for low back pain (66% versus 22%, respectively). Compared with patients of family physicians, patients of chiropractors were much more likely to have been satisfied with the amount of information they were given, to have perceived that their provider was concerned about them, and to have felt that their provider was comfortable and confident dealing with their problem. Although the more positive evaluations of chiropractors may be related to differences in the patient populations served by the two providers or to benefits of spinal manipulation, it is suggested that a potentially more potent force--the therapeutic effect of the patient and provider interaction itself--may explain the observed differences.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bass M. J., Buck C., Turner L., Dickie G., Pratt G., Robinson H. C. The physician's actions and the outcome of illness in family practice. J Fam Pract. 1986 Jul;23(1):43–47. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cherkin D. C., MacCornack F. A., Berg A. O. Managing low back pain--a comparison of the beliefs and behaviors of family physicians and chiropractors. West J Med. 1988 Oct;149(4):475–480. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Coulehan J. L. Adjustment, the hands and healing. Cult Med Psychiatry. 1985 Dec;9(4):353–382. doi: 10.1007/BF00049230. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Deyo R. A. Conservative therapy for low back pain. Distinguishing useful from useless therapy. JAMA. 1983 Aug 26;250(8):1057–1062. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kane R. L., Olsen D., Leymaster C., Woolley F. R., Fisher F. D. Manipulating the patient. A comparison of the effectiveness of physician and chiropractor care. Lancet. 1974 Jun 29;1(7870):1333–1336. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)90695-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Liang M., Komaroff A. L. Roentgenograms in primary care patients with acute low back pain: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Arch Intern Med. 1982 Jun;142(6):1108–1112. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nachemson A. A critical look at the treatment for low back pain. Scand J Rehabil Med. 1979;11(4):143–147. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Novack D. H. Therapeutic aspects of the clinical encounter. J Gen Intern Med. 1987 Sep-Oct;2(5):346–355. doi: 10.1007/BF02596174. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Thomas K. B. General practice consultations: is there any point in being positive? Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 May 9;294(6581):1200–1202. doi: 10.1136/bmj.294.6581.1200. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- White M., Skipper J. K., Jr The chiropractic physician: a study of career contingencies. J Health Soc Behav. 1971 Dec;12(4):300–306. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]